The 3 Steps to Handling a Crisis

Amid the “19 Kids and Counting” scandal, there were a few missed opportunities for TLC to use handy PR tricks to help save face. During these tough times, it is important for companies to stay ahead of the issue at hand in order to restore their image and the faith their stakeholders have for their company. These are the steps TLC should have taken to handle the crisis/scandal/issue

1.   Communicate the issue. Once these types of scandals break, the media will be all over you looking for comment. Although there is no rush to provide one, it is not good to completely ignore the media outlets. This will allow other people to speculate your stance on the issue and create new opinions that could distance them from your service. People need to know where you stand on the issue.

2.   Apologize. Everyone is human, and humans are not perfect. Regardless if your company is in the wrong, you should always apologize for the situation at hand. It shows that your company is compassionate and cares about the people who are involved in their business.

3.   Be transparent. Be available to stakeholders to voice their opinions and concerns, and take serious initiative to make change. Every scandal presents a company with the opportunity to make positive changes and be more open and honest with its constituents. Companies should share as much as they can with their constituents to prove that they are taking the necessary steps to make changes.

All of these steps help companies deal with crisis issues and help solve them quickly and swiftly.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Rene Cosides. 

Fashion Police & Guiliana Rancic: Crisis Comm 101

Recent comments from Fashion Police host Guiliana Rancic have caused the internet to buzz with commotion and cries for apology. In this recent episode of Fashion Police, a popular show on the E! network known for making snarky comments about celebrities and their attire, host Guiliana Rancic made some less than thoughtful comments about actress Zendaya and her hair style at this year's Academy Awards.

Rancic is quoted saying "I feel like she smells like patchouli oil," Rancic snipped, drawing chuckles from her co-hosts. "Or weed. Maybe weed?"

It didn't take long for 18-year-old Zendaya to respond with this message which has been shared countless times over social media:

pic.twitter.com/q0fOYrv3gc
— Zendaya (@Zendaya) February 24, 2015

Rancic followed up with her own apologetic tweet, which users did not respond well to. After event more controversy stirred when another Fashion Police host, Kelly Osborn, gave an ultimatum that the issue be addressed or she'd leave the show, Rancic issued this apology, which has been better received, but has still done little to reverse the damage done.

Apologies have been issued, but the dust is far from clearing in this situation. Moving forward, there will be plenty of scrutiny, criticism and careful watch over Guiliana, the Fashion Police team and the E! network as a whole. As a TV personality and a brand, Guilana will need to put her best PR foot forward in figuring out how to:

• Reassure her fan base/audience that she's truly learned her lesson without coming off as coached.
• Reassure those that she has offended that it will never happen again.
• Showcase this character correction in her brand.
• Work together with members of her E! network and host family to collectively show a change in character

How would you handle this crisis situation? Do you think E! is handling it effectively, now?

Urban Outfitters: How Far Is Too Far?

On Monday, September 15, online shoppers of UrbanOutfitters.com were shocked to see the store offering customers the chance to buy a “vintage” Kent State University sweatshirt splattered in red coloring, which looked like blood. This sweatshirt is a clear reference to the 1970 campus shootings at Kent State and the school soon released a statement saying they took “great offense” to the promotion and sale of this sweatshirt. Kent State University wasn’t the only outraged audience though.

Angry customers took to social media to express their disbelief at how once again, Urban Outfitters has gone way too far. In addition to the bloodstained appearance of the sweatshirt, it was also priced at $129.00 and there was only one available. While Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne did release an apology, it was defensive in nature, apologizing for those who may have felt “offended” and defended the integrity of Urban Outfitter’s vintage line.

However, in the last several years, this is just one of many Urban Outfitters clothing scandals. A brief timeline includes the following incidents:

2012: Urban Outfitters comes under fire for selling a $100 t-shirt mimicking the design of star patches Jewish people were forced to wear during the Holocaust

2011: Urban Outfitters labels a clothing line and accessories “Navajo”

2010: Urban Outfitters debuts the “Eat Less” t-shirt

2010: Urban Outfitters sells a t-shirt in a color combination labeled “Obama/Black" 

2003: Urban Outfitters angers the African-American community with a Monolopy knock-off titled “Ghettopoly”

Over the years, these incidents have begun to pile-up and as a public relations student, I’ve begun to wonder if perhaps to Urban Outfitters, any publicity is thought of as a good publicity? While us Strategic Communication students learn early on this line of thinking is actually harmful to one’s brand reputation and message, Urban Outfitter’s actions have lead me to strongly believe they think otherwise. While most organizations seek to avoid controversy and utilize crisis communications in the event of a slip-up, it’s an interesting debate onto which side of this spectrum Urban Outfitters seems to fall. Time and time again though, they continue to seemingly provoke public controversy, but one begins to wonder: how far is too far?

As public relations students, what do you believe? Has Urban Outfitters gone too far this time? Let us know in the comments below!  

This guest blog was written by PRowl staff member Rachel Draghi. 

Crisis Communication: Community Health Systems

Computer hacks are not entirely far-fetched these days. It seems that more and more companies are finding themselves in the hands of a hack before they even realize it. The most recent major hack was within Community Health Systems, one of the United States' leading operators for 206 hospitals across the nation. Hacks are something that PR professionals need to acknowledge, as you could one day find yourself in the position of handling a similar corporate crisis.

Hackers stole data from at least 4.5 million patients. 4.5 million. Just to name a few pieces of information, this means that hackers have access to names, social security numbers, addresses, birthdays, and telephone numbers. Information regarding credit cards has not been stolen, yet this personal information alone leaves space for identity fraud.

(Source: ABCNews)

The idea of an identity theft of this majority leaves many people nervous and cautious.

How do you handle this as the PR coordinator? CHS handled it by immediately hiring experts in the cyber-security field to track down where and when the hack took place. The FBI has also been in close contact with the hospital network to bring down the perpetrators as quickly as possible.

The sticky part of CHS' situation is that patients have grounds to CHS for negligence. This takes the situation into legal matters over those regarding publicity.

Community Health Systems' effort to settle the heavy hearts of its patients includes filing with the Securites and Exchange Commission, stating that it "carries cyber/privacy liability insurance to protect it against certain losses related to matters of this nature." CHS reassures patients that hackers' malware has been removed from their systems completely and that extra precaution has been set forth to avoid this type of hack to ever happen again.

Redskins Face Biggest Loss Yet- Their Trademark

(source: USA Today)

Not long after the Donald Sterling scandal, the sports industry is experiencing yet another scandal rooted in racism. It was announced yesterday that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will cancel the Washington Redskins trademark, among a recent flurry of controversy over the name. The office made the ruling arguing that the team name “disparages” Native Americans and is considered offensive.

Though controversy with the Redskins’ name began in 1992, the issue has been garnering more negative media attention over the last few years. With the recent ruling by the Patent Office, the tension is likely to grow. It raises several issues for the organization, namely the potential need to rebrand an 82 history. In addition, they will likely need to rebuild their reputation, with the team potentially losing value in this scandal. There are a few steps the Redskins organization should take in order to ease their current public relations crisis.

• Identify a spokesperson. They should designate a spokesperson to be the face of the team during the crisis, whether it is the owner, coach, or other. This allows for more consistent messaging coming from the organization.
• Identify stakeholders. Who, both internally and externally, matter to the team and how are the decisions of the organization going to affect these stakeholders.
• Use social media. The team should utilize their social media to update stakeholders, fans, and the public. This is the first place they are going to check to find out what is happening and what actions are being taken. The team is, in fact, doing just that. Wednesday morning, the official account tweeted a press release regarding the Patent Office’s decision.
• Be transparent. If the team establishes open communication with the media and fans, it will ease any backlash. This will also help repair their relationship with the public as well.

In order to avoid similar controversy, other sports teams, like NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs and MLB’s Cleveland Indians, have begun phasing out their Native American mascots while still retaining related symbols. 

Girl Unrelated to #BringBackOurGirls Made the Face of the Campaign

Recently, a social media campaign called "Bring Our Girls Back" has erupted in response to the kidnapping of 276 Nigerian girls by terrorist group Boko Haram. Several photos of citizens and celebrities alike have surfaced with them holding up a sign with the slogan in an effort to raise awareness and gain the support of government. In the past few weeks, the campaign has been very successful, reaching the ranks of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Unfortunately an issue has recently surfaced related to the most circulated photo of the campaign which features a girl that is neither kidnapped nor Nigerian. The photo is actually of Jenabu Balde, a girl from Guinea-Bissau on Africa’s western coast. It was found on the Alexia Foundation website, a photojournalism organization. 

The photographer, Ami Vitale, has since issued a statement saying, “I support the campaign completely, and I would do anything to bring attention to the situation. It’s a beautiful campaign that shows the power of social media. This is a separate issue....This is about misrepresentation.” Emmanuel Hephzibah, the Nigerian man responsible for photoshopping the photograph and adding the hashtag, says he meant no harm claiming, “I was crying out so that our voice could be heard in Nigeria, because it seems our government was not ready to take any action. I credited the source of the image as AlexiaFoundation.org.” 

Though Hephzibah has been asked to take down the photo, the image has already gone viral in association with this campaign and is impossible to remove completely. Unfortunately for Balde, she will also be associated with this campaign for a long time as the face of a terrible, ongoing crisis. 

Source: PR Daily

LA Clippers Community Unites Against Owner Donald Sterling

Over the weekend, an audio recording leaked that revealed some disturbing attitudes within the LA Clippers franchise. Owner Donald Sterling was recorded having a conversation with his girlfriend, scolding her for posting a picture on Instagram with a black person. Ironically, his girlfriend is black and Mexican and the "black person" she took a photo with was basketball legend Magic Johnson. Somehow, Sterling still found the entire situation highly upsetting. 

Although the recording is still under investigation, there is strong evidence to suggest the voice does, in fact, belong to Sterling. Most notably he says, "It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?" He goes on to claim, "You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want. The little I ask you is not to promote it on [Instagram] ... and not to bring them to my games." 

I suppose Sterling's wish has been granted. Magic Johnson tweeted, ".@cjbycookie [his wife] and I will never go to a Clippers game again as long as Donald Sterling is the owner." He also goes on to tweet, "I feel sorry for my friends Coach Doc Rivers and Chris Paul that they have to work for a man that feels that way about African Americans." Rivers, Paul, and a majority of the Clippers starting lineup are African American.

During yesterday's playoff game against the Golden State Warriors, the team chose to wear their warm up shirts inside out as a silent protest against the comments made by Sterling. They also maintained a united front during post-game press conferences. When asked about the purported comments, both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin chose to turn the attention back to their performances during the game. Eventually, the reporters got the hint and stuck to questions related to the playoffs.

Courtesy of Mashable

As if this story didn't have enough ironic twists and turns already, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was planning to honor Sterling with a lifetime achievement award in May. They have since retracted it in a statement from interim president and CEO, Lorraine C. Miller, saying, "Let me make it clear, the NAACP will not be honoring Mr. Sterling at the upcoming Los Angeles branch event and we have strongly urged our Los Angeles unit to take the necessary steps to rescind the previous award they bestowed on him." 

Typically, the work of one prominent member of an organization can tarnish the entire franchise's name. However, it seems the LA Clippers have come together, and its fans have rallied behind the team in support. As President Obama stated when asked about his reaction to the recordings, "When ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance, you don’t have to do anything, you just let them talk....The United States continues to wrestle with legacy of race and slavery and segregation. That’s still there. We’ve made enormous strides, but you’re going to continue to see this percolate up ... We have to continue denouncing it and teach our children differently."

ABC’s Scandal: Based off the Ultimate PR Star

Turns out, although ABC’s Scandal has some pretty outrageous characters and plots, the show is actually based off a real woman! The main character of Scandal, Olivia Pope, a crisis management expert or “fixer” is actually based directly off Judy Smith.

Judy Smith graduated with a public relations degree from Boston University and founded her own strategic and crisis communication firm called Smith & Company where, like Olivia Pope, Smith represents many high-profile political, athletic and entertainment figures including Kobe Bryant and Paula Deen.

Smith has even been the public relations expert behind the scenes of many real-life scandals that have made national news. For example, one of Smith’s biggest cases was representing Monica Lewinsky after news broke of her relationship with President Clinton.

She was also the PR expert behind the scenes of a scandal that erupted in 2007 after professional football player Michael Vick was accused of operating a dog-fighting ring in Virginia.

As if that wasn’t enough, Smith even worked in the White House! During her time as Special Assistant and Deputy Press Secretary for the Bush Administration, she provided the president with communication advice regarding the Gulf War and US-Kuwaiti relations.

Obviously, Judy Smith has a very impressive resume that definitely warrants a hit-television show but a lot can also be learned from her successful career. For example, never talk about your clients: Obviously, the scandals Smith has been involved in were splashed across all media outlets. However, until recently most had never heard of Judy Smith. This is because she has a reputation of never speaking of her past clients, which is definitely a necessity in crisis PR.

Many have asked Smith the key to her success and her response is a lesson to be remembered for all aspiring PR professionals: “Constant work and focus,” she explains. In most careers in PR, professionals will be handling many different accounts and clients; therefore, it is necessary to work hard and stay focused to keep up with their demanding needs.

Do you think Judy Smith’s wide range of clients and success makes her the ultimate PR star? 

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Emily Charles.

#SochiProblems: The Many Olympic PR Issues of the 2014 Winter Games

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, began on February 7, 2014, with a memorable opening ceremony of Russian culture and history – as well as a mishap when only 4 out of 5 giant snowflakes electronically morphed into Olympic rings. Some would say that this electronic malfunction would prove to only be the beginning of many problems experienced during the Sochi Olympics. However, controversies surrounded the Winter Games months before the opening ceremony.

The Sochi Winter Olympics cost more than the sum of all previous Winter Olympics – a total of over fifty billion dollars, much of which was embezzled or mismanaged. But was this price really worth it for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin? I don’t believe so, particularly because, generally, news reports surrounding the games have not involved the actual sports. Rather, they have discussed Russia’s issues with human rights, anti-gay propaganda laws, and extreme Islamist terrorist groups. As well, Sochi’s contracted killings of hundreds of stray dogs have sparked an outrage with organizations like the Humane Society.

Apart from sociopolitical controversies, Russia has dealt with backlash from athletes, reporters, and visitors who are experiencing less than ideal conditions in Sochi. Reports have flourished from unhappy tourists complaining about uncovered potholes on walkways, contaminated water, unsanitary bathrooms with toilets placed directly next to each other, and unfinished hotel rooms that lack light bulbs, chairs, and even doorknobs. From these issues has arisen the infamous Twitter account, @SochiProblems. Equipped with the hashtag “SochiProblems,” tourists staying in Sochi are live-tweeting posts and pictures depicting the problems they are encountering.

These are just some of the many examples of Sochi’s poor planning in preparation for the Winter Olympics. So what have they done to fix the situation? They’ve made it much worse.

Instead of apologizing for the abhorrent lack of planning and the many head-scratching procedures taken to fix Sochi’s issues, Russian President Putin blamed Western civilization for its criticism and compared the criticism to that of the Cold War’s ambitions to hold back the Soviet Union. Additionally, on the same day that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak asked gay visitors, “Please don’t touch the kids,” he also let it slip that there were cameras in hotel room showers.

PR people know that to fix a crisis, you don’t point fingers. Putin should’ve owned up to his (many) mistakes, and accepted that they were trying to fix them the best way they could. With Kozak, well, he could really use Olivia Pope right about now.  

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Tyler Cameron.

Crisis Communication Crash & Burn

Employee scandals.
Illegal activity.
Product recalls.
These, and more, are all things that call for crisis communication.

Temple University recently announced the cancellation of seven sports teams and has found itself in the midst of a situation that could use a lot of crisis communication.  While an initial announcement was made, there has been a lot of backlash from students, parents and faculty about the issue and minimal information has been provided from the university.

I'm not here to place blame on Temple, I am simply analyzing the situation from the perspective of a public relations student. While I haven't had much first-hand experience with crisis communication, I've learned a great deal about it and there are several things that should be done in an instance like this:

• Get accurate information out fast. If you don't the press will and word of mouth will and the message you were hoping to convey is hopelessly lost in translation.
• Never say "no comment". Always have something to say, or others will end up putting words in your mouth and taking your caution as avoidance and guilt.
• Use empathy. Put yourself in the shoes of the people that are being affected. Make it known that you are doing so. Generic responses and cookie cutter actions are only going to show people that you're disconnected with your audience.

Based on what I've learned during my education here at Temple, the university could up their crisis communication and handle the situation more effectively. It's a tricky issue, I think everyone understands that. What would you do if faced with such a crisis?

How 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' Teaches Us About Crisis PR

Much like Charlie Brown and friends, my holiday gatherings never go according to plan. Either the turkey is being burnt or the dogs are getting into someone's leftovers. My family has learned to always plan for the worst. 

As I waited for dinner to be served yesterday, I happened to stumble upon this PR Daily article that compared good ole Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special to crisis PR, a segment of PR I actually have experience in thanks to my first internship with Jubelirer Strategies.

I have learned that in any type of situation, there is always room for mistakes. Problems do arise and mistakes unavoidably happen.

Luckily, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” offers at least three lessons to keep in mind the next time catastrophe strike:

1. Communicate your message clearly

Wha-wha-wa-wa-wha-wa. Charlie Brown and friends may have understood their teachers, but the rest of the world didn’t. When you’re talking, make sure to cover the bases so that all of your audiences are notified efficiently and effectively.

2. Turn a negative into a positive

Popcorn, pretzel sticks, jelly beans, and toast served up on a Frisbee isn’t exactly the dinner that Charlie Brown had in mind for his Thanksgiving guests, but when you put Snoopy and Woodstock in charge of catering, what else could you expect?

While it was less than ideal, the meal brought everyone together around the ping-pong table. In times of crises, PR pros need to keep a level head, shifting their focus to what new opportunities a turn of events can provide.

A brand can easily save face and perhaps earn a few extra points by addressing the problem straight-on and solving an issue in an orderly manner.

  
3. Deliver a well-worded public statement

That loud-mouth Patty is the natural spokesperson for the Peanuts gang. But just because someone is capable of speaking over everybody else doesn’t mean people are going to listen to them.

It’s important your go-to media representative is someone who can bring a calming, dignitary quality to the problem. Find the perfect Linus for the job, and you’ll be much better off.

Robbed of Mayoral Duties

After several public mishaps, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is finally being stripped of most of his powers. The Toronto City Council met yesterday to discuss whether they should revoke more of Ford's mayoral privileges after he publicly admitted to buying and using cocaine. Specifically, the majority of the council (39-3) has voted to cut his office budget by 60 percent and remove him from executive committee chair. Ford will, however, "retain his title and ability to represent Toronto at official functions."

Photograph by Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP Photo

What led Ford to be in jeopardy of losing his mayoral duties in the first place? His unfortunate personal affairs recently became very public. When confronted several times with the accusation of smoking crack cocaine, he finally admitted to the mistake saying, "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine. But do I? Am I an addict? No. Have I tried it? Probably in one of my drunken stupors, probably approximately about a year ago." Yes that "drunken stupor" was plural, as in more than one occasion.

Despite obvious reasons for Toronto City Council to question the competency of Ford in office, he didn't seem to take the news very well. During the council session, Ford and his brother (a council member himself) became outraged yelling "punk" and "scumbags," while the public chanted back at him, "Shame! Shame!" Ford was also heard calling the meeting a "coup d'etat." To add insult to injury, Ford knocked over councilor Pam McConnell in the midst of his frenzy claiming he was rushing to the defense of his brother. He offered no apology when prompted but simply said, "I picked her up." 

While removing some of his privileges is a start, it would appear that Mayor Rob Ford could use a little crisis communication, and some serious rebranding and damage control if he plans on running for re-election or for Prime Minister, as he has stated recently. 

Do you believe Ford can come back from these series of events and if so, what steps should he be taking? Let us know in the comments below!

99 Problem’s and Now Barney’s Is One

Well-known rapper, Jay-Z, has been put in the midst of controversy involving the high end department store Barney’s New York and the racial profiling of two of its customers. It’s now come out that the rapper was facing increasing pressure to back out of his collaboration with the department store after it accused two black customers of stealing expensive items, which they had in fact purchased. The original reason why Jay-Z and Barney’s teamed up was to benefit Jay-Z’s charity, The Shawn Carter Foundation. The foundation provides scholarship money to underprivileged students, allowing them the chance to attend college.

The rap mogul first came under attack for remaining silent and not immediately responding to the event at Barney’s. However, soon after Jay-Z responded to the controversy through his website, stating that he’s being unfairly “demonized” for not getting personally involved and waiting to hear for the full story. He later stated that, "making a decision prematurely to pull out of this project wouldn't hurt Barneys or Shawn Carter but all the people that stand a chance at higher education.”

This situation proved to be quite a tough one to solve in order to satisfy both his relationship with Barney’s and the public.  Although he did release a statement, it was quite delayed, and allowed for the public to take this story and turn it into a much bigger situation then it should have been. However, he was able to maintain a positive relationship with the department store, while also recognizing the discriminatory act, which showed sympathy to the falsely accused. 

In this case did Jay-Z make the right decision by not getting immediately involved, or should he have pulled the plug on his collaboration?

This guest blog post was written by PRowl Staff Member Jenna Stern.

Lipstick Backlash

Recently, Sephora had to do a bit of crisis management. About a week ago, the cosmetics chain had to pull a lipstick off of its shelves after receiving backlash from customers. The lipstick shade, titled "Celebutard," was a part of the Painted Love Lipstick line by Kat Von D. While the nude hue flatters most consumers, ironically, it didn't set well with many. 

The majority of the negative response came from mothers of children with developmental issues who were not a fan of the use of the derogatory word. Kim Stagliano, managing editor of Age of Autism, wrote in a Huffington Post blog, "People with disabilities are the last to benefit from what some might call 'political correctness,' and what I would call basic human decency. 'Retard' is still bandied about - even by people I like a lot, like Howard Stern and his crew, who still have wack packers with the R word in their name."

Once realizing the mistake, Sephora issued this statement saying, "It has come to our attention that the name of one shade of a lipstick we carry has caused offense to some of our clients and others. We are deeply sorry for that, and we have ceased sale of that shade both in our stores and online."

Lipstick creator, Kat Von D, did not share the same sentiment. Although it has since been deleted, she reportedly tweeted, "At the end of the day, it's just a f**king lipstick." 

Do you believe it's "just a lipstick" or is it an offensive and insensitive term to a large group of the population? Do you think Sephora handled this crisis effectively? We would love for you to share your thoughts below!

For more information: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/07/celebutard-lipstick-sephora_n_4233966.html#slide=more240278

http://www.prdaily.com/crisiscommunications/Articles/15577.aspx

Social Media Scolding over Boston Marathon

It seems that false reporting over social media sites is becoming a reoccurring trend. Like my professors continually preach, "Always check your facts." It seems that the media need to be refreshed on this simple rule.

According to Mashable, the Federal Bureau of Investigation scolded several media outlets in a statement Wednesday afternoon in response to the false reports being circulated that an arrest had been made in the investigation of Monday's Boston Marathon bombings. 

"Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate," reads the FBI's unusual report. "Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting."

The race to be first is hurting news organizations' accuracy and trust levels. A crisis can come at any moment. As an aspiring PR professional, I know that I need to be ready for the worst at any given time. However hectic the crisis may become, it is never okay to post public information without checking your facts. Credibility is essential in the media and communication industry. 

Ben Dimiero @bendimiero
The last hour of CNN: Suspect ID'd. Arrest imminent. Arrest made. Confirmed arrest made. Wait, maybe no arrest. Confirmed arrest not made.

2:36 PM - 17 Apr 2013

72 RETWEETS 13 FAVORITES

What news organizations do you still hold credible? Let us know!